The Dark Area (ダークエリア,Dāku Eria?) is a jet-black, abyssal "graveyard of deleted data" full of evil energies[1] governed by Plutomon,[2] and located within a spatial distortion of the Digital World, below the Net Ocean.[3][4][5] How it came to be within the Digital World is a mystery whose secrets are known to be held by GranDracmon, although it protects them well.[6] The Dark Area, or more often its guiding ethos, is sometimes known as the "Dark Side" (ダークサイド,Dāku Saido?),[7] and the cunning and evildoing Digimon[8] who have been lured into joining it are said to have been "won over to"[9] or "tainted by" the Dark Side.[10]

First and foremost, the Dark Area is the place to which Digimon are ultimately transmitted when their life span finishes or they are defeated in battle, and is guarded and supervised by Anubimon, who constantly surveys the arriving data; if their data is good, it will reset them back to a Digi-Egg, but if they are evil, it imprisons them within the eternal darkness.[11]

However, the chief nobility of the Dark Area, the Seven Great Demon Lords, are able to subvert this process, as their victims' data is instead sent to the heart of the Dark Area to become their flesh and blood.[12] Furthermore, after the ancient failed rebellion of the Demon Lord, Devil, and Fallen Angel Digimon against the creator of the Digital World, led by Lucemon and Daemon, the evil Digimon were imprisoned in the Dark Area along with many of the other Demon Lord Digimon.[13] A long period of darkness followed this rebellion.[14] Other Angel Digimon who rebel and fall from grace also end up imprisoned within the Dark Area, where they become Demon Lord or Fallen Angel Digimon,[15][16][17] and may be inscribed with the Mark of Evil as proof.[3]

As a result of these two processes, the Dark Area is primarily inhabited by Fallen Angel Digimon and their like,[11] although it also contains Dark-species Digimon who are thought to descend from Vilemon,[18] as well as species who have fled the Digital World proper after being driven near to extinction. Due to the violence of the Dark Area, most of the indigenous Digimon have made brutal adaptations in order to stay alive,[19] although some are merely exceedingly mischievous.[20]

At the very heart of the Dark Area is a den of demonic Digimon,[21] led by the nobility of the Dark Area,[22] and also where several of the Seven Great Demon Lords reside or are sealed.[23] Most of the nobility lead legions of the dark army of demons known as the "Nightmare Soldiers".[24][25] However, the authority of the Seven Great Demon Lords is not absolute throughout the Dark Area, as GranDracmon has kept a castle within it since ancient times, and is powerful enough that it need not submit to them.[6] The Dark Area is also covered by the vast, dark "Evil Forest" (エビルフォレスト,Ebiru Foresuto?).[26]

Despite its purpose as a prison for evil Digimon, the walls are not sound. The messenger of darkness Devimon was able to summon the supremely evil Devidramon to the Digital World from the Dark Area,[27] while the evil Bakemon and Gulfmon were both born from the prison itself.[4][28] Conversely, some Digimon are able to cast their victims into the Dark Area through a "Hell Gate" (地獄の門,Jigoku no Mon?)[29] or "Maw" (口,Kuchi?),[28] and it is said that those who attempt to reach the Golden Land but fail Yatakaramon and Crowmon's "Threefold Trails" are dispatched to the Dark Area as well.[30][31]

Dark Digimon often possess "Dark Side Power" (ダークサイドパワー,Dāku Saido Pawā?) which can exploit the Dark Area's evil "Dark Energy" (ダークエネルギー,Dāku Enerugī?).[32] High purity Dark Side Power allows Digimon like LadyDevimon to reverse the phase of the opponent's own power, incinerating their body and soul and removing any barrier to its virality,[33] while some of the Demon Lords are able to directly channel the Dark Energy in battle as extremely high-temperature blasts.[21]

Digimon Next

The Dark Area is the Digital World's hell, and once one falls in, they can't come back alive. "Haguro" (羽黒,"Haguro"? lit. "Feather-black") is one of its districts and can be summoned by Crowmon. Anything that touches Haguro's darkness, even attacks, is sucked in to the Dark Area. When Sho and Crowmon confront Tsurugi, GeoGreymon, Ami, and Pichimon in Light City's underground warehouse, Crowmon uses his "Haguro" attack, which is immediately detected by the Andromon's computers. GeoGreymon attempts to attack Crowmon with "Mega Flame", but the attack is sucked by the Haguro's darkness. Eventually, GeoGreymon starts being sucked to the Dark Area. Although GeoGreymon tells Tsurugi to stay away, the boy refuses to let GeoGreymon fall into the Dark Area alone and jumps with him, both being completely sucked by the jet-black abyss. GeoGreymon then digivolves to RizeGreymon and emits a light that breaks Haguro, allowing both to come out. Dark Area!

Digimon Chronicle X

The Dark Area exists on a separate layer to the Digital World, which meant that it was unaffected by the X-Program used by King Drasil in its attempt to kill most of the existing Digimon, due to overpopulation.

Anubismon judges the Digimon that are transferred to the Dark Area, deciding whether they are good or evil. If they are good, Anubismon allows them to be reborn as Digi-Eggs, but if they're evil, Anubismon seals them in the Dark Area. Eventually, the sealed Digimon attempt to break out of the Dark Area, leading Anubismon to ask the Royal KnightExamon for help. Despite managing to kill a large amount of the evil Digimon, Examon is defeated, and the remaining evil Digimon escape the Dark Area.